Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, has died aged 82.

As commander of the Apollo 11 mission, Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the moon, hours after Apollo's Eagle lunar module had touched down on July 20 1969.

He radioed back to Earth the historic statement: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." He then spent nearly three hours walking on the moon with fellow astronaut Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin.

“Neil Armstrong was also a reluctant American hero who always believed he was just doing his job. He served his Nation proudly, as a navy fighter pilot, test pilot, and astronaut."

The British astronomer Sir Patrick Moore said: "As the first man on the moon, he broke all records. He was a man who had all the courage in the world."

Astronaut Neil Armstrong dies, aged 82

Charles Bolden, the NASA administrator, said: "As long as there are history books, Neil Armstrong will be included in them, remembered for taking humankind's first small step on a world beyond our own. We mourn the passing of a friend, fellow astronaut and true American hero."

Armstrong was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Richard Nixon, and in 1978 he received the the Congressional Space Medal of Honour from President Jimmy Carter.

Last November Armstrong, along with three other astronauts, received the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest US civilian award.

A statement from his family issued on Saturday night said he died following complications resulting from cardiovascular procedures.

Armstrong was born in Wapakoneta, Ohio, on August 5, 1930. On July 20, 1936, when he was 6, he experienced his first airplane flight in Warren, Ohio, when he and his father Stephen, an auditor for the Ohio state government, took a ride in a Ford Trimotor, a three-engined transport plane that was also known as the "Tin Goose".

After serving as a naval pilot from 1949 to 1952, and serving in the Korean War, Armstrong joined the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) – the precursor to NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration - in 1955.

As a research pilot at NASA's Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif., he was a project pilot on many pioneering high speed aircraft, including the well known, 4000-mph X-15.

Neil Armstrong was the first person to set foot upon the Moon Photo: REUTERS

Armstrong joined the NASA astronaut corps in 1962. He was assigned as command pilot for the Gemini 8 mission. Gemini 8 was launched on March 16, 1966, and Armstrong performed the first successful manned docking of two vehicles in space.

His second and last spaceflight was as mission commander for the Apollo II moon landing.

After commanding the Apollo 11 mission, Armstrong subsequently held the position of Deputy Associate Administrator for Aeronautics, NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. In this position, he was responsible for the coordination and management of overall NASA research and technology work related to aeronautics.

He was Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Cincinnati between 1971-1979.

Armstrong and his wife, Carol, married in 1999, made their home in the Cincinnati suburb of Indian Hill, but he had largely stayed out of public view in recent years.

He spoke at Ohio State University during a February event honouring fellow astronaut John Glenn and the 50th anniversary of Glenn becoming the first American to orbit the Earth.

In May, Armstrong joined Gene Cernan, the last man to walk on the moon, at Pensacola Naval Air Station in Florida to support the opening of The National Flight Academy, which aims to teach maths and science to kids through an aviation-oriented camp.